Samsung is reportedly weighing two very different paths for its next wide foldable. According to Korean leaker Lanzuk, cited by 9to5Google and GSMArena, the company is testing a larger Galaxy Z Fold 9 Plus and a cheaper Galaxy Z Fold 9 FE. Only one of the two would move to production and full release.
The rumor follows the strong performance of the Galaxy Z Fold 8, Samsung's first wide foldable, which launched in July. The tipster claims the device is selling much better than Samsung expected, prompting the company to expand the lineup next year.
Galaxy Z Fold 9 Plus vs Galaxy Z Fold 9 FE: two options
The first option is a Galaxy Z Fold 9 Plus, which would keep the same wide form factor as the standard Fold 9 but add a larger pair of displays. It would not be an Ultra device, according to the leak. The second option is a Galaxy Z Fold 9 FE, which would cut specs to reach a lower price point.
Samsung has tried the FE approach before with the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE, which 9to5Google describes as essentially unsuccessful. A decision between the two form factors is said to be coming soon, but the company has not confirmed any of this publicly.
Galaxy Z Fold 8 specs and sales context
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 comes with a 7.6-inch 2448x1848 inner screen in a 4:3 aspect ratio and a 5.5-inch 1248x1972 cover display, both LTPO AMOLED with a 120Hz refresh rate. It runs on the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chipset with up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage.
Its camera setup includes a 50MP main sensor with OIS and a 50MP ultrawide, backed by a 4,800 mAh battery with 45W wired and 20W wireless charging. Samsung has not shared exact sales figures for the wide Fold 8, but said the Fold 8 and Fold 8 Ultra together sold 45% more in Europe in their first nine weeks than the Galaxy Z Fold 7 did last year.
